Well, February's #BookSpinBingo apparently knew it was a short month and needed to help us out, because look at all those free spaces together 😂

I packed my first box yesterday! It looks like we will be closing on our new house in about 2 weeks. I actually weirdly love moving, but it's been soooo long since we moved here that I'm out of the groove. Our first 5 Christmases were in 5 different houses, then 10 years here 😂

Anyway, the usual info⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is FOUR! Our official #DoubleSpin number is TEN!! I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at everyone‘s lists & am really looking forward to seeing your reviews!!

My next post will be the #BookSpinBingo card. I am NOT tagging anyone on that post!! If you want to bingo, please just check my profile for the card. This saves me having to double tag ⬇

I loved this book growing up, and it definitely encouraged my ongoing love affair with alleys 😂 I hadn't read this one in several years, and it was super fun to revisit. Cleery buys a box of magic at a flea market, and accidentally magics a stuffed crow into being alive - and able to talk - but not able to fly. With an enchantment of being able to find something magical in every new alley she visits that summer, she and her best friend set off ⬇

Finally got to my November #TravelingThrills book 😂 I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's not super fast-paced - definitely more suspense than thriller - but I liked the MC so much that I didn't mind. The back and forth between past and present chapters felt balanced and even though there were some aspects of the grand reveal that left me scratching my head a bit (a side character's motivations/methods seemed like a bit of stretch), I'll still be ⬇

At first, I enjoyed Blair's sassy attitude, but after a while the flirting aka bickering between the two MCs began to get on my nerves. It could be because my husband and I are both super chill so I've never understood the “arguing as foreplay“ concept lol The mystery aspect didn't make a lot of sense either, which meant the entire plot began to drag around 2/3 through. It was an okay read, but one of those that I enjoyed less as I went along.

Me: I really need to not get so entangled in buddy reads and challenges because February is going to be super busy.
Also Me: Has 16 “assignment“ books 😂

I usually leave my leftover slots open for whatever TBR books come up in my random draw throughout the month (I have a prompt jar), but my personal challenge is that I have to fill them in in order instead of what would strategically make bingos.

Still plenty of time to post a list if you want⬇

When I first read the Swallows and Amazons books in 2019/2020, I knew I would want to reread them over and over. I've been working my way through them slowly and enjoying them every bit as much - or even more - as I did the first time. Winter Holiday is adorable, with plenty of wintry adventures to go around. I personally had an idyllic childhood, but I still think I would trade to be a Swallow or Amazon! 😂

Here is February's #ISpyBingo board!! A reminder that you can play these however you like, but I encourage covering multiple prompts with one book if you can!!

Link to all the 2025 boards: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content... ⬇

Well, unbelievably there is only one week left in January, which means it's time for 2025's first mini-existential crisis!! 😂 It also happens to be time to get together your lists if you are planning to #BookSpin in February!!!

Thank you all for the well-wishes on the new house!! We are under contract and things seem to be moving smoothly so we are hoping to close by the end of February!! We've been here 10yrs so even though this move is only⬇

This one just wasn't for me. I've enjoyed some of Thompson's other writing - he can be brilliantly insightful and cutting, with an ability to call out hypocrisy and hold a mirror right up to your own face - but I struggled with this one, mostly just him and his attorney being out of their minds on drugs. Actually, it was great anti-drug propaganda 😂 I just kept thinking - do people do this for FUN?!😆 Anyway, it was worth the one-off read for me⬇

I'm always happy to reread Christie and I'm pretty stoked about the #ChristieCapers readalong that @Librarybelle is hosting. While this isn't my favorite of her mysteries, it's still a great introduction to Poirot, Hastings, and Christie's writing style. This edition also included an alternate ending that Christie had written having the final reveal being in court instead of in the intimate family gathering, so that was interesting.

Funny story, life has been CRAZY this month and I legit forgot about getting this giveaway sorted out until yesterday 😂 Apparently, vacation + family from out of state + buying a house all within a two-week period means I start forgetting other things!!

ANYWAY here are the 2024 winners!!! @Megabooks @vonnie862 @robinb @CSeydel @julsmarshall CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I have emailed each of you at the email you provided, so please check and let me ⬇

https://fromthepagecandles.com has an annual sale where you tell her which book you want (along with any scent preferences) and she makes you a candle based on the book!! It's SO fun and I've done it for several years. You have to have your orders in by Thursday night, but if you love high-quality candles with wonderful scents, her shop is fabulous. If you've ever gotten a swap box from me, you've probably gotten a couple of her small candles 😂

This book was a load of fun, with entertaining characters and loads of wry humor that I quite enjoyed. My overall rating was somewhat lowered by the ending - it felt like the red herrings got a bit out of control - seriously, how many people have secrets centered around this one spot?? - and one other issue I had I'll put as a spoiler below. But overall this was a great time and I'll definitely pick up the sequel.

Any of these strike your fancy @Jerdencon @bookandbedandtea ? I have a neverending pile of mystery/thrillers from which to choose, so I can pull another four if needed 😂

Since we aren't #LMPBC anymore, do we need another name? #TravelingThrills ? 😆

It's always a pleasure to return to Kate Burkholder's world, and while the 16th installment had some plot twists that stretched believability a bit, it was still enjoyable. Love the characters in this series. Kate is gritty and tough without being obnoxious (actually, she kind of reminds me of Eve Dallas of the In Death series) and Castillo always writes the Amish as real people. It's also always fun to read books set in Ohio and actually know ⬇

The husband & I have been off this week, and instead of going to FL as originally planned, we've hunkered down and had the most relaxing, chill week ever - and three days left to go!! I've been reading up a storm and have completed 6 books so far this year. None of them were mind-blowing, but since it's the beginning of the year, they check off so many challenge prompts 😂 So here's the skinny (sorry for the hosts getting tagged multiple times!):

Thank you so much for my #LittleChristmasSwap package @actualdisneyprincess !!! I've been wanting to read this book forever as I've enjoyed several of Painter's other books. And I'm always a sucker for chocolate and peanut butter 😂

Thanks for hosting @bookish_wookish !!!

@julieclair is hosting a nonfiction challenge, and goodness knows I need the motivation! My husband loves nonfiction, and I always THINK I'm going to love NF, so we have quite the collection. As I've conveniently shelved it using the Dewey Decimal system, I am going to try to read a book from each category each month. The tagged book is considered “journalism“ and shelved in the 070s.

Whoops, already dropping the ball on posting the #ISpyBingo board each month 😂 Here is January's board!! You can play this however you like - I personally let a single book fill as many prompts as it can, or you can do one prompt per book, whatever you like best!! If you want all 12 boards for the year, let me know and I'll post the link!!

Yay!! First #BookSpinBingo card of the year!!! The Spin Fates have blessed us with a free space in line with both Spins (two for BookSpin!!) so I think we are off to a great start!! I love seeing everyone's cards and lists and plans and successes and failures, so thank you so much for joining me for another year of fun and tricking our brains into reading what we think we should 😂 Happy New Year!!

Standard text + “rules“ below ⬇

2025 has OFFICIALLY arrived because here is your first #BookSpin of the year!! 😁 I am SO EXCITED to Spin with all of you this year!! Just a reminder that I am using my new 2025 tag list, so if you don't get tagged today and would like to be added, please let me know (I may also have messed up your username).

The 2024 giveaway link is still live but I will be CLOSING that form sometime tomorrow, January 3, 2025, so please complete your entries ⬇

I usually like Kasie West's YA fare because she writes characters whose problems feel real/regular to me. There's drama, but it's not over the top. Like most of her books, we have a MC who needs to learn to get out of her comfort zone a little, find some balance in her life, and be willing to wrestle some of her inherent prejudices. There's also some great snark and fun characters. An enjoyable read, even if it didn't really bring anything new ⬇

I've enjoyed a few of Arnold's novels, so when I saw he had written a graphic novel, I thought I would check it out even though that isn't my usual wheelhouse. I liked but didn't love this one, involving zombie squirrels. There were a few side characters who just felt a little to bizarre for me. But there were some funny moments and the main characters were a likable crew.

#WinterGames #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks

My final holiday read of the year is the sequel to Christmas at the Shelter Inn. I liked this one better than Shelter Inn, mainly because I found this MC to be more likable haha It's cute and pretty traditional fare for the genre, but nothing mind-blowing. As usual, by the end of December I'm ready to set aside holiday romance and jump into some other stuff!!

#WinterGames #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks

I'm joining @Librarybelle for #ChristiesCapers and am super excited!! While our first read, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, has the same title in both the US and the UK, several of her later books have two different titles, which confuses the heck out of me. So, I made a table of her books with the publication date, UK title, US title, and a few notes. Feel free to save this, make a copy to edit for yourself, or whatever!!

If the US Title is ⬇

Still wrapping up a few Christmasy reads for #WinterGames and #ReadOuttheOld This month I've focused on books that I already owned and have checked off 15 books (some of which included multiple shorter stories), almost all of which are now in the donate box, meaning I have room for that many more Christmas books for next year!! 😂

This one was a soft pick. It's classic workaholic city girl has to go home and get caught up in small town ⬇

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I low-key enjoyed this one 😂 It was objectively terrible, with a plot that went nowhere, absolutely no sense of suspense or pacing, and wildly unlikely twists. Yet despite her tendency to burst into tears and/or faint in basically every chapter, I found myself liking Emily. I appreciated her commitment to what she believed was right and her determination to follow her morals even when they weren't the easy path. ⬇

This one just didn't really work for me. Part of it is that I should have bailed on this book as soon as I realized that a big part of the plot was going to be lying/withholding information/secrets. I'm just not a fan of stories where ONE CONVERSATION could solve all our problems BUT NO ONE WILL HAVE IT. The thing was, I really liked the characters and the setting, so I thought maybe it would be okay. It was not. I was stressed the entire time ⬇

Believe it or not, we are less than a week away from not just a new month, but an entirely brand new year!! Since all my efforts to stop time have been to no avail, I guess I have to accept the inevitable and start planning my 2025 #BookSpin list!! I am super excited to Spin along with all of you this year, even if creating this post does give me a mini-existential crisis every month 😂

As always, a reminder to make your lists work for you!! ⬇

A spontaneous readathon that starts today 😂 Join me as I #ReadOuttheOld and get ready for 2025!!! Even though there is less than a week left of 2024, there is still time to wrap up a book or challenge, or maybe just pretend you had zero reading goals for 2024 and read whatever you want! 😆 Feel free to tag me and let me know what you're reading!!

I'm tagging my WinterGames team, but anyone is welcome to join!!

Borderline so-so, but hey, it's the season of generosity 😂 This one kind of felt like someone was trying to write a book based on a Hallmark movie screenplay, but not in a good way. The writing was kind of clunky and character development was abrupt. And who names a human character “Wink“?? There were a lot of scenes like this: Person A: “Please go out to supper with me.“ Person B:“I don't want to date you while things are so complicated“ ⬇

After a while, the FMC's unforgiving attitude towards people in her past/tendency to blame them for all her life problems did start to grate on me. At some point, you have to acknowledge that you are an adult and have been for over a decade. YOU are in charge of your life/actions now. But on the whole, a perfectly pleasant if most-forgettable kind of read. I'm not sure I'll reread it, but I'll probably pick up the sequel.

I spaced and forgot to post my #JolabokaflodSwap yesterday!! Thank you so much @plemmdog !! Also, I love that wrapping paper 😂 Thanks for hosting @MaleficentBookDragon !!! I look forward to this one every year!!

This was definitely my favorite book I've read so far this month, and one of my favorites for the year. Even though Hattie is only 28, she's been widowed for 2 years and is struggling to run the Vermont inn that was her husband's dream, all while taking care of their young daughter. Meanwhile, 3 women (Erica, Claudia, and Anna) have been friends since college and always get together for a week every year. Now that they are all at or close to 40 ⬇

This is a lil update post!!

@MaleficentBookDragon - I received my #JolabokaflodSwap package from @plemmdog safely!! Thank you!!

@bookish_wookish - I received my #LittleChristmasSwap package but it came directly from Amazon and despite someone on here saying to me, “I'm your match and it's coming from Amazon“ I've spaced and can't remember who that is 😂 But it's here safely!!

@julieclair I'm your #LCS match and your book still isn't here!! ⬇

Cannot BELIEVE I am working on a reading journal for ***2025*** That's not a real date!!!! @PuddleJumper is responsible for most of my challenges this year, although @lauredhel is also doing some work 😂 This year: #ISpyBingo #100YearsofBooks (and finishing @Librarybelle 's #192025 ), #Pantone2025 #Roll100 #GottaCatchEmAll and #BookChain

Not pictured - #ReadtheUSA #WickedWords @AsYouWish #FourFoursin25 @lauredhel #FictionalTraveler @julieclair ⬇

I've been using a random number generator to decide which of my holiday books I'll read next, and weirdly ended up reading Wrapped up FOR Christmas and Wrapped Up IN Christmas back to back 😂

Soft pick for this one; it's just a little too cutesy for me. Bodie was seriously injured on his last tour of duty and almost died. While recovering, he received a handmade quilt from the Quilts of Valor program, and that along with the letter that came ⬇

When I'm reading nonstop holiday fluff in December, I really lower my standards when it comes to plot points like instalove, but this one was a stretch even for my relaxed attitude. Angie is coming off of a really bad relationship and even says things like, “I've never been single more than a month and should probably take some time to find out who I am as a person“ and then immediately falls in love with a random dude and after knowing each ⬇

My cover isn't super exciting, so I give you Kitty as compensation 😂

I remember enjoying this book as a teen but wasn't sure how it would hold up as an adult - but I found it completely engaging. Christy is just a likable character, so it makes the whole story work. She's genuine in her efforts to understand the world around, and I related so much to her desire to make her childhood faith something tangible and real. This is definitely a ⬇

Yay!!! @MaleficentBookDragon thank you SO MUCH for this fabulous #StuffedStockingSwap box!!! I love everything and am so impressed by how you made the tiny stocking and the scarf yourself!! (Love the colors btw!!) Thank you for your thoughtful gifts. Merry Christmas!!!

Thank you for hosting this swap @Avanders !!

*Not all candy is pictured because I may or may not have housed two mini Reese trees immediately 😂

Okay, first big stress-event has been hurdled - the realtor came and looked at our house and told us she thinks it will sell for more than we thought WHEW. We have lived here ten years and COMPLETELY remodeled this place and tbh it's a weird little house but we love it and having someone come and tell us how much it was worth kind of felt like we were taking a final test 😂 Next step is waiting to hear from the bank!! Lots of feelings right now. ⬇

This background is an accurate portrayal of my windows right now 😂 We've having the Ohio December special of cold rain all week, and I have a lot of stress going on!! To inspire me to read a little more, I thought I'd host a little bonus readathon this week, so feel free to join me in the #MidweekMuddle Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday this week!!

I'm tagging the #HolidayBookDragons but anyone is welcome to participate whether you're playing ⬇

This is a fun little Poirot short (the actual book includes several other short stories, but they aren't particularly Christmasy, so I only read the title story this time around). Poirot reluctantly heads off to a country estate for an “old-fashioned Christmas“ - and a bit of undercover sleuthing. Poirot is very Poiroty in this one, and I quite enjoyed rereading it.

#WinterGames #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks

Definitely the best Nancy Drew we've had in a minute. This one had more of the regular level of ridiculousness 😂 Favorite parts included the police acting very clever because they determined that two masked men who attempted to break into the house at the same time were working together; the girls acting like sitting behind empty picture frames was a brilliant hiding spot; literally everyone not only knowing how to sail but being really great ⬇

Hey friends!! So I've been looking at my life and my upcoming schedule, and I am going to pause #RandomClassics definitely for January, and maybe longer, kind of depending. We're thinking about moving (!!!!!) plus we are going out of town in January, so there is a lot going on 😂 I still have a huge list of classics I would like to read, and I have really enjoyed reading these with you all, but for now I need to skip a month!! I'll let everyone ⬇

Okay, I know it's not the right kind of sword, but it's the best I could come up with 😂 Well this book was quite the rollercoaster ride. On the whole, I enjoyed it, but don't think I would reread it. However, I can see myself reading something else by Dumas. Pevear's translation was super readable. The ending did feel a little abrupt, though. I'm not sure I would want to be friends with these guys in real life (especially considering how they ⬇

A soft pick for these two loosely-connected stories that take place on Nantucket a year apart. These were super Hallmarky and perfectly pleasant. I enjoyed the first more than the second, because the mom in the second story drove me kind of crazy. But the greatest tragedy is that I was 160 pages in and all of the sudden the book skipped to page 216!! Right at the big finale of chaos (you know, where the kid ran away with the puppy and supper is ⬇